Problem
I have issues when connecting my turntable to my computer. What should I do?
Solution
While there may be a range of issues when connecting your turntable to your computer, here are some common troubleshooting steps:
- Incomplete rotation or intermittent connection: Be sure to use the original blue USB-2 cable. This cable is shielded and enhanced with ferrite to ensure the integrity of the USB-2 communication signal between the turntable and your computer. If you’re not using the original cable, you may experience issues where some communication signals don’t pass through correctly. This can result in the turntable performing only partial rotations or stopping mid-rotation.
- Slow rotation speed: If the turntable seems to be running a bit slow, one possible solution is to use a powered USB-2 hub. In some cases, the USB chip in our turntables may be detected as a low-speed device, which can slow down the communication between the turntable and your computer, leading to slower rotations. By using a powered USB-2 hub, you can help ensure that the turntable is recognized as a high-speed device, allowing for faster communication and slightly quicker rotations. This improvement is particularly noticeable on Mac computers.
- USB-2 vs USB-3 Ports: Pictomic’s turntables are designed specifically for USB-2 connections. While they should, in theory, work with USB-3 cables and ports, we’ve encountered some issues during testing with USB-3. We strongly recommend using a USB-2 port and the original USB cable provided with your turntable.
If a USB-2 port isn’t available, you can try using a USB-3 port and cable, but please ensure that: (1) your cable is a shielded, ferrite-terminated USB-3 cable, and (2) based on our tests, USB-3 cables can be sensitive to the direction in which they are connected. If the USB-3 connection doesn’t work initially, try flipping the cable and reconnecting. If you still experience issues, switch to a USB-2 port or use a USB-3 hub.
We are working on ensuring full compatibility with USB-3 in the future, but for now, we recommend sticking with USB-2 for optimal performance.
